Rebecca Osterfund

Veterinarian Profile

Answers from Rebecca Osterfund

Hi I have a 3 year old pit bull, and she has been very sluggish, sleepy and limping all day yesterday and is the same this morning. Should I wait another day to see if this passes? She won't eat her food but she will eat dog treat I give her.

Her first vet visit was diagnosed with strongyloides and put on Panacur for 5 days. Repeat stool showed no more worms, but an overgrowth of bacteria for which she was put on Keflex. Next stool still showed bacterial overgrowth. They put her on probiotics for a month. New vet at that time with another stool sample halfway through the probiotics which showed up all clear. Question is that she still has loose, foul smelling stool (usually one semi formed followed by another very loose). What could we be missing?

I have a two year old, neutered lab/golden retriever. Lately, I've noticed that he's licking his penis often. When I examined him, I found a small amount of frothy, yellow discharge which smelled strongly of ammonia. He's urinating normally (amount, color, frequency). He's also eating and playing normally. He plays with other dogs and swims in local rivers and streams. Will this resolve naturally? Should I give it more time or take him to the vet? Thanks, Julie.

Last week my 3 1/2 year old mastiff mix started crying at night. Shortly after he peed in the house. The crying got worse. He would walk circles around the living room and it appeared he could not lay down. He stumbled, almost fell over a couple of times. Constant crying. When he would go outside he would cry and howl. He seems very weak, lathargic. Uncoordinated with his back legs. All blood tests have come back negative. Urine test seemed fine. Limes disease test negative. Thyroid test came back fine. He acts drunk or drugged. He startles easily, then gets tremors. He just had a spinal tap today so we are waiting on the results from that. Please help, I dont want to put down another dog this year. He is much to young.

I have a cat that was diagnosed with a kidney lymphoma and was given 2 weeks to 2 months to live. Well, it has been 2 1/2 months, and a few weeks ago I noticed swelling around the kidney areas and behavioral changes (wanting to be alone mostly). He is currently on blood pressure meds and prednisone, but is there anything more I can do? Is he in pain? If so, what can we do to relieve the pain?

Are pistachio nuts poison for dogs? What would happen if my dog at some?
He is acting disoriented; he eats, drinks, sleeps, pees and poops, but is like a drunk walking. He also has rapid eye movements, like a spasm, constantly.

I have a Yorkshire Terrier. She is 14 years old and has always had issues on and off with her colon. I have changed foods many times which eliminates the problem for a while. For the last month she has had bloody loose stools. I started feeding her canned chicken which caused her to drink water excessively so I switched to fresh chicken. I have fed her fresh boiled chicken for the last 3 days and I added some yogurt to it because I understand it is good for the colon. She has not had a bowel movement for 2 days until today and it was nothing but blood today. What can I do for her?

Earlier this year we took our cat to the vet due to grooming issues. (She is a long hair and was significantly overweightapparently could not reach herself well.) The vet cleaned her up and put her on clavamox (and we put her on a diet!). Since then she has been vomiting. Sparingly at first and then almost every day. Due to this we recently took her for an exploratory (biopsies consistent with ibs). She was put on clavamox again. She did not vomit at first, but now does every time we give meds.

My cat was recently laser declawed. She is coping well after one week. However, she has licked her back paw to the point where she has tremendous hairloss on the top of her paw and now it is inflamed and red. What COULD be the cause of this? What are some important red flags to look for?

I have a 5 month old Cocker Spaniel/Boykin Spaniel mix. He has had normal hard stool for months and in the past 2 days he's had loose stool (slightly formed but not completely runny). At first I wasn't too concerned since dogs sometime can have that. Then this morning when I was giving him his food he ate it very slowly and it took him almost 5 mins to eat. Usually he inhales his food in a minute or less. Should I be concerned and take him into the vet?

My 13 pound poodle just got him immunizations yesterday. He is lethargic and his rump is sensitive to touch. Can I give him an 81 mg aspirin to relieve his pain and discomfort?Charlie is lethargic, but eats. He cowers when approached which is a new behavior. He will not go out to relieve himself.

Hi My 5 year old cat has just had an operation. She had a rapid growing lump on her back. (probably around vaccination area) The lump has been removed and she is currently recovering. However,today, I have received news that the lump was a fibrosarcoma. I understand that it is very important how the operation is carried out and there is a 50% chance of another tumor to occur. But I wonder if there is a chance for her to fully recover again. Is it now certain that her lifespan has shortened?

I have a 5 year old boston terrier, last year he had a benign tumor removed from his upper gum line. Over the year it grew back to the size of my thumb nail. At that time his lower canine began puncturing it. He did not seem to be in any pain nor have any change in appetite. I had the tumor removed again. That was about 3 weeks ago. I have noticed it is growing back again. It is pinker and more red then the rest of his gums. I don' know if i should keep removing it or what it is. Please advise.

She is 7 years old, eating and drinking good. She doesnt always walk on that back left leg. I take her for 2 to 3 short walks and she seems to do real enjoy the walks. I don't know what to do, I can't afford a vet. Please help

I just recently got a 7 week old wolfdog pup, he's already had a vet check and we were told he has no health problems. He doesn't bark or whine only makes a weird grunting noise when he's picked up. Could this be a sign of something serious?

The dog was run over by a lawn mower and had a back leg amputated and his buttock were cut and a small tear in the rectum. He had surgery and has had bowel movements since and under the circumstance seems to be healing.But I was wandering about the 2 staples coming out he has several more in. And I also wandered about the yellow stuff draining out of the wound.

we just found out our new kitten has worms! before finding out it was around our older cat and dog! we plan on getting the other animals checked! kitten has roundworms. has been given a dewormer and will be kept separate for 4 days? are the other 2 safe to sleep with us? were only around kitten for 2 days! but the cats shared a litterbox!

Hello, My 6 year old male GSD has recently been diagnosed with proctitis. He has been on a course of prednisone, 10mg 2x per day. He has only improved slightly. Are there any other treatment options? Thank you very much!

So my cat got really sick and is now skin and bones literally, however she did start to eat again and drink. But now she is having a very hard time balancing and walking on her back legs and if u touch her tail she get the look like she will bite you and cry. I am very worried for her and I know something is wrong. What can I do?

We have a six month old English bulldog who had soft palate resection a little over two weeks ago. Since then, he has been limping off and on- this affects his left back leg. The limping seems to come and go and he is able to run and walk up and down stairs, etc. Sometimes he seems to have trouble putting weight on the leg and getting up from sitting or lying down. This leg may have had an IV because there is some fur shaved from his foot. We are wondering if it could be some kind of reaction?

We have a dachshund age 1 year. when he lays with us, we notice an awful smell and liquid that comes from his anal area. it comes out, without notice from the dog or us until the smell hits. there is no gland swelling that we can see. the liquid seems to be clear. what could this be and what can be done for it?

I noticed worms by my cat's butt and gave him one dose of dewormer. He still has worm pieces by his butt, should I give him another dose so soon?
Can i give my cat another tape worm tablet, after a couple days if i still see worm?

Almost 11 years Female spayed English Springer Spaniel. Drinks and urinates excessively. Was being treated for a bladder infection but symptoms now worse. The urine is very dilute. Her vet asked us to return next week to discuss doing more tests. What could this be?

I have noticed in the past few months my cat has been licking her butt quite a bit like it bothers her. At first I thought maybe she just had dry skin in the area until I saw how red her anus is. She lays on her side and then leans up to lick the area. Then, she flops back down. It is almost like watching a fish flop around. She also kicks out her back feet while she does this strange behavior. She is 8 years old and is fat. She had also been spayed when she was about a yr old.

My cat sticks her tongue out very far, as if she is gagging or has something stuck on her tongue that she cannot get off. Any ideas?
Before, she would do this before regurgitating a hairball. Recently, it has been happening without a hairball following, only white foamy saliva. It is as if something is stuck on it that won't get off or like she has something stuck in her throat (not choking though, just irritated).

I was playing with my dog, I rubbed his lower back and he started to cry that's when I noticed what look like bite marks that were bleeding. I gave him a bath to clean them out. Could this be an allergic reaction to the rabies shot that he got on Wednesday?

Hi, I live in Mexico and I really need your help. I have a two month poodle, three days ago she start vomiting, just two times in one day. Yet we went to the vet, he told us that she had colitis and prescribe one drop of ranitidine every 12 hours, 1 drop of buscapina compositum once a day and 0.3 ml of pramigel every 8 hours, everything for 5 days. My puppy is perfectly fine she eats well, her poop is okay and she is happy as always. However today as well as the next day we went to the vet she seems to start vomiting but nothing comes out. We call the vet and he told us that is normal and is just the vomiting reflex but I'm very concerned, Is it really normal? I hope you could help me. Thanks, Karina.

My chihuahua has been having some periodical diarrhea, and now he looks a little swollen and irritated (red) during his bowel movements. I took him to have his anal glands cleansed and they said that nothing came out. What are the next steps I can take to solve this problem?

my dashund just had her first litter and there's one still inside her and she looks like shes no longer in labor what do I do? this is her first litter her first pup came out just fine and looks healthy, her second however came out dead and while she was pushing that one out with some assistance a dark green mucus substance came out. there is still at least one more pup in there however she seems to no longer be in labor and no longer wants to push, What do i do now?

What is the easiest treatment for a yeast infection in a dog-maltipoo? Her vaginal area is swollen & she keeps licking it. Also, she is scratching/itching in several areas. Can she still be going into heat if she has been fixed? She is a maltipoo

An oozing sour foul odor on right wrist of paw. What do you think it is? When my cat was groomed in April I was not told about anything until today. If this is a tumor, is it the same as cancer? I hate the thought of having part of her leg amputated. I was given an antibiotic to see if it clears up.

Hello doctor, I am writing regarding my twelve year old dachshund mix dog, lately he gets these attacks every couple/single month, in which he has a very hard time walking, also last night he kept sleeping for half an hour and then getting up and moving to another location in the bedroom, I am sure he was in pain, the pain seems to be at the back end just above the penis area. He weighs 25-28 lbs. What do you think is wrong with him, and how many years do these dogs live. I can send you a picture of him. Thank you for your help. Chris, Los Angeles, California.

My neighbor and I co-share a 2-1/2 yr old black lab named Smokie. Within the last week I have noticed on 2 occasions that she strains and does not have a normal bowel movement....they are loose and very minimal. Does she need to see her vet? Since I don't see her everyday I am concerned that she may have a blockage. My neighbor is gone a lot and I am not sure if he is aware of the problem....help ! Advise is needed ! Thank you !

12 yr old Boston terrier has symptoms: sits on her butt turning from side to side with her head pointed upward and her tongue flicking in and out like catching flies. she also runs from room to room crying like something is biting her. she has started sleeping in the bathroom with her butt up against the tub. cry almost continuously until we can get her to settle down at the end of the day. can you help with a possible cause of these symptoms?

We have 2 cats and each was given aprox. 1mg of Seargants flea & tick drops for dogs about 4Pm today, (10 hours ago). Both have been very sick and have had seizures. We thought the medicine was for cats. Both are about 5 years old. What can I do for them until a vet is open?

Have a rescue boxer who has chronic diarrhea on dry food. We tried prescription diets etc. We now cook for her but it is getting very difficult. We ran all blood test possible all negative. Would like to try a low fat dry food with metronidizole. Would that be feasible to try? They think she has IBS I cannot afford any more testing.

My parents have a 10yr old cattle dog mix, that has been showing signs of what looks to be a stroke. Left side of jaw is dropping, loss of balance. She is showing no signs of pain anywhere on her body. But she is active and eating well.

My dog is dying he can't move and is only drinking water . The city of Barstow CA won't come out and help me because I live in the county. The county won't come help me and the dog is lying there suffering. He is too big for me to put in a vehicle and am handicapped. How can I put him out of his misery!!! What can I do?

My 8 year old basset hound is having issues. In addition to persistent white blood cell in his urine it is so dilute that it is almost water. I believe it's something like .0002 and he's not eating well and he's struggling with incontinence. His energy levels are so low! My vet wants to treat for Diabetes insipidus, are there other causes or concerns that I could bring up to her?

My dog is a 6 year old black lab mix, the other day I noticed a tumor like bump by her rib cage then I noticed just today that she wouldn't eat and she just threw up and it is a yellow color what should i do? I work full time so i don't want to take time off unless it is absolutely necessary

I have a 5 month puppy (Jack Russell mix) and he likes to get a mouth full of feces and put it in his bed and lay down on it. I thought that if i did a better job of keeping his area cleaned that this would stop. He has only found ways to do this at night. So my husband and I have been putting him in our room at night, that seems to help. Any suggestions?

My dogs feet and skin get irritated and red after running in fields.His father's feet do the same,but worse. Is this an allergy that can be treated? The skin around the nose and belly also gets reddish in color.The more I run him the worse it gets.Thanks.

Shih tzu has little puss like pimples only on her back what are they caused by? I had brought her to the vet and they said it was allergies. She doesn't itch them at all. Wat are they from and some get scabs on them? Please help. Thank u tara

My cat has been overgrooming itself. She has blood spots on her skin and also her tummy is swollen. Feeling really bad as we have let this go on for a good few weeks only because we generally have not had the money to take her to the vets. I have 2 young children and I am pregnant. The money we have is very little. We will be taking her to the vets at the end of the month when my husband is paid. If we cant afford to get her treated we will have to let her go. I am feeling so so bad about this as we have had her for nearly 9 years. Do u know what is causing this and her swollen belly?

The other day I noticed a lump on my dog's throat. I does not seem to bother her. She is still the same dog as far as energy and appetite goes. She is a 6 year old pitbull that has been healthy all her life thus far. Should I just keep an eye on in and watch for changes in size and such?

14 week maltese had a reaction to Lyme vaccine, shaking and tremors. 6 days later developed seizure like activity, unable to walk, did not recognize name. Went to Tufts Univ. Hospital, appeared to be fine. 2 days later had the Bile Acid test done. Bile Acids (fasting) results were 21.9 and Bile Acids Post Prandial 52.9. How often would symptons occur in Porto-systemic shunt? Would eating (Eukanuba, Bil-Jac, Royal Canin all small breed puppy) cause hepatic enzymes levels to be elevated?

I have a 5 year old Toy Poodle and she has been really lathargic for the past week; which is nothing like her! I noticed that she has been chewing at her bottom and making it bleed.She won't do anything but lay in her cage all day and all night. I believe that she's eating and drinking because I refill both in the morning. The bleeding is starting to scare me, and she cries out every now and then too and that hurts me because I hate to hear her in pain. I was thinking that she may have worms, but I'm not sure, I haven't been out with her to check. But she hasn't wanted to go out lately either. Does the symptoms seem like it might be worms, or something else?

I am the proud owner of a one year old Golden Retriever. I was recently trimming his nails when I found that they are peeling. I looked closer and saw that a few of his nails had a thin layer nail peeling from it. It causes him no pain and he allowed me to continue clipping his nails (it's not his favorite activity). Do you have any advice on how to solve this problem or what might be causing. A bit of background on him. He's a neuter pure bred golden retriever. He's very active, always running around the back yard and is fed one cup of Purina large dog food twice a day and the occasional raw hide bone.

The past few days on and off, my 6 month old kitten Chloe has had a rectal problem, looking like a red doughnut and seems to be pussing, but nothing solid. I've kept her separate from her 8 month old kitten friend so she can rest and not deal with his rough play. She is normally very active, playful and cuddly, but now she's reserved, barely mobile doesn't even acknowledge being touched most of the time. What should I do? I can't afford a vet bill right now. :(

8 month old dog with neck pain, stiff neck, front leg muscle spasms for 1 week. Prednisone not working. Exhibits drooping neck, neck pain, shaking front legs, shaking head. Being treated with prednisone. Still whimpers in pain, other times she's fine. I don't know what to do. Have gone to vet, originally put on Rimadyl with no results. Has been on prednisone for 5 days, no relief

When she drinks she acts like something is in her throat and preventing all of the water from going down and she usually spits up about 1/2 of it. She does not seem to have any problems when she eats however.

My neighbor is trying to poison my dogs! The lady across the street has had two dogs poisoned and heard from a friend that the man living next to us bragged about poisoning them. He mentioned to this person that whatever he used killed the grass also. We have a large area of dead grass next to our fence and I'm terrified for our dogs! Iis there a way to treat the yard so the dogs will be safe without knowing what it is he used?

My cat only had 1 kitten. I was told to look for signs of mestatis. She has a hard spot under one of her nipples but it's not red or swollen. Should I worry or watch? I really can't afford another vet visit. And would azithromycin be a good treatment?

Puppy has green pus filled blisters on her belly. What could it be? Also when she sleeps it looks like things are moving in her stomach. She also breathes really hard while sleeping. my vet gave me some drontal plus to treat her for worms and the eggs are still coming out in her poop.

My 9 year old Border Collie has an incontinence problem that has been growing worse over the last few weeks. We are giving her medicine to help control it, but it isn't as effective as it used to be. We think the incontinence is causing her to drink more water than usual, but I'm worried it's making her dehydrated. Is the condition of her fur any indication? I've noticed it's a lot drier than usual over the last few days.

We received an inconclusive result for a biopsy on our 11 year old St. Bernard/ shepherd dog mix. Do we take her in for a second opinion ? She has a huge wound from the incision, and don't want her to be put through anything more, but seems to me like they didn't get enough of a sample, or didn't quite know what they were doing. What would you do if this were your dog?

My boxer/pit mix bred was diagnosed with demodex mites and the Dr recommended Mitaban dips. I've read that this may be required regularly for weeks until the tests come back negative. Can I do these dips at home? Where can I get mitaban and instructions?

My dog is allergic to fleas. She slept at my mom's one night and I thought she caught them, but the groomer said she didn't. I don't see them. Her hair is really short just got her trimmed, but she is still itching to the point of bleeding :(

We have a 9 yr old cocker spaniel. She has developed a pointed knot about the size of a nickel on the very top of her head. When we touch it she doesn't seem to act like it is painful. What could this be??

I was walking my dog in the near by woodland area when my dog found a wasp nest. The wasps started to sting her and she started yelping. My dog had about 6 wasps on her. I have pulled out 3 stings from her one on her paw one on her side and the other on her arm pit. Is there anything i can do to reduce the swelling or to help reduce the pain and is there any symptoms to look out for?

Our puppy was found on the side of the road. She is a very timid and frightened dog with everything, still playful and loving. She has excessive shedding and every other week has cases of severe diarrhea. We've changed her diet, basically changed everything. We are worried that she might have a medical condition. What do you think?

My 12 week old kitten was vaccinated 9 days ago and I noticed a hard pea sized bump at the site of the shot.He received his final booster shot and a rabies vaccination This has me worried. Is this common?

My dog had breast cancer removed a year ago, breathing problem, has a bad cough that seems to cough up what looks red in color, blood? Has a very short breathing labor, drinks way too much water, urinates a lot and has a swollen stomach that is sensitive to the touch. What could be wrong? Is it related?

My 2 year old dog has been sneezing and has a watery discharge from her nose. Should I do something. She is a healthy 2 year old doxie. We got a new puppy and ever since the pup came home about a week ago our older dog has been a sniffing machine. I just noticed her really the sneezing going on the past couple days. She acts normal, has no fever, is eating and drinking ect. I don't know if it makes a difference, but it is very hot where we live, but we do have the AC on in our home. I don't know if she has over sniffed or if that is even possible.

I have an 82 lb Chocolate lab, who two days ago, we took to the vet for some kind of infection on his toe. He prescribed Prednisone 10 mg Also prescribed was Zeniquin 100 mg tabs to be taken once a day for 14 days. Mind you, Bo, the dog, has only been on this regimen for a couple of days. Today, I gave him his pred., in the morning along with the other med. at 5pm he was vomiting, food, grass, bile. Can this be a side effect of the drugs? ER vet said give 1 1/2 Pepcid AC. Advice?

My 2 year old mini dachshund got her lepto shot and lyme shot yesterday around 430 pm. She vomited twice sometime between 9pm and 3am. She was acting normal all day the next day and then vomited twice around 6pm. She went outside and ate some grass and then vomited that up. Is the vomiting from the vaccines?

Severe hair loss and lots of tiny hairless spots on his body (especially near paws) that look like healed scabs. His ear gets dirty every day.He has tiny black dusty stuff that keeps reappearing all over his body (more to some areas, especially under belly)which disappears when washed and comes back within 2-3 days. Most worrying is the black patch on his nose. I'ts this sticky scab like thing on the bridge but NOT a scab! My other cat also now has 3 spots like this on her face.

Hi!.. I have a pet poodle a 1 and a half year old, and it is our first time to see him like loosing appetite about 10days from now and yesterday he stop from drinking his water. So we forcedly fed him by using the syringe since he stop eating. one thing i notice to my dog was he stop from defecating for a week after we sent him at the vet, his nose is dry, always like to rest at one place. also his tummy is getting bigger but the vet said that he doesn't have bloat sickness.

I have an 18-month old male great dane, spayed. As a puppy, he jumped on kids and mouthed me, generally in a playful manner. He has passed that stage. He lies down when he sees other dogs and then jumps up to play. Never growls around food, bones, toys, etc. Recently, he began growling at dogs in our neighborhood. The behavior is escalating & he now totally loses it with most dogs in our community. He is still fine outside the area, but subtle signs are beginning. What's happening? Help.

I am concerned because she is steadily losing weight. What confuses me is she has a very good appetite, which may be the good sign here. We have been having a lot of hot weather, so I always keep her fresh water & she drinks a lot. She also has shade. It is expected she would drop some weight because of the heat, but she is looking very gaunt & tired. She isn't vomiting, & her stool is normal. She isn't as active,& is showing no physical signs such as seizures, shaking, coughing, jaundice, hair.

My dog isn't eating and her stomach is growling, what can I do for her? This has happened before. She also tends to belch at times. Have her on a sensitive dog food from Iams. Seems to have been helping, but now she's feeling like this this morning.

My puppy got into my older dogs rimadyl, 100mg chewables prescription dated 6/2/09 - he may have eaten 18 tabs. He is almost 7 months old and weighs 31lbs. I induced vomiting and took him to the emergency clinic for treatment. They administered two doses of charcoal and have him on iv fluids. Blood work was slightly abnormal, ate breakfast so far so good. Waiting game is unbearable - how long should it take before we know if he will be ok? What questions should I be asking about bloodwork?

I just bought my 8 month old Pomeranian puppy from a farm. The very first day it had a cough and a sneeze. Then she began to vomit bubble and with some yellow thing. It has been 1 week and she hasn't recovered. Is it very serious to vomit bubble with some yellow thing?

My kids (all 8 of them) have strep a second time within less than a month. My little ones are constantly lying on the dog, could the dog be the carrier and can I give her azithromycin just like the little kids? I have an extra bottle for a child about 30 lbs and my Beagle probably weighs just about that, maybe a little over too.

Have a chihuahua min pin mix. Has had infected anal glands before that burst through the outside. This time the swelling in inside, at the bottom of his anus. Can't take him to the vet for a few days. When I finally get an unemployment check. I am giving him antibotics and aspirin for the pain for now.

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